Shoe and insole therefor



Oct. 1. 1940.

F. F. COOMBS SHOE AND INSOLE THEREFOR Filed Oct. 31, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Get. 1. 1940. F. F. COOMBS 2,216,153

' SHOE AND INSOLE THEREFOR Filed Oct. 51, 1939 2 Sheets-Shet 2 Fig.8

Patented Oct. 1, 1940 PATENT OFFICE sHoE AND INSOLE THEREFOR Frank F. (loombs, Marblehead, Mass., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Borough of Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jer- Application October 31, 1938, Serial No..237,997

8 Claims. (01. sis-11.5

This invention relates to improvements in shoes the uppers of which are formed with openings of substantial size in the toe or in other localities, such aswomens so-called open-toe or openshank shoes, and to improvements in insoles for such shoes.

In. an open-toe shoe the upper is cut away at the top of the toe and there is no upper margin in that locality to be secured in overlasted position upon the insole. Consequently, when the outsole is applied the sole laying or sole attaching pressure forces the extreme toe end of the outsole into intimate contact with the insole inasmuch as there is no overlasted upper margin interposed between the soles in that region. Thus, a hollow or depression is formed'in the tread side of the outsole at the toe which may remain permanently so as to mar the appearance of thefinished shoe. The outsole may, however, react from the sole laying or attaching pressure so that thedepression in the outsole will disappear but in that case the toe of the outsole may pull away from the toe of the insole so that an objectionable space is left between the margins of the inner and outer soles in the open-toe portion of, the shoe. Where the outsole is attached by cement thetoe ends of the inner and'outer soles will be. cemented together where there is no overlasted upper margin interposesd between them, in which case if the outsole reacts so that the depressed toe portion thereof becomes fiattened out the toe portion ofthe insole, which is secured to the outsole by the cement, will be displaced downwardly and thus a hollow will be formed-in the insole at the open-toe portion of p the shoe where it will detract from the appearance of the shoe.

Conditions .somewhat similar to those just mentioned exist also in the shank portion of an open-shank shoewhere the upper has been cut away and where there is consequently an absence of any overlasted upper margin between the soles, it frequently happening thatthe marginal portions of either theinsole or the outsole are distorted or that the margins of the inner and outer soles are separated more or less because there is no upper margin interposed between them in that region.

One object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned undesirable conditions in shoes having up'pers with cut-away portions adjacent to the shoe bottoms.

To the accomplishment ofthis object the present invention, inone aspect,resides in an insole havingjyits marginal portion only thickened in, a

locality corresponding to that where the upper of the shoe is cut away. Such thickening of the edge portion of the insole may be efiected by securing to the margin of the insole at the outsole facing side thereof a'filler 'piece of a thickness corresponding to-that .of the uppermaterials of the shoe inwhich the insole is to be used, the filler piece being shaped 'toprovide thereon an edge curved to correspond to the curvatureofthe portion of the insole where the upper is cut away and being so located and secured in place upon the insole that the corresponding'curved edges of the filler piece and the insole will coincide or register. Preferably, the-filler piece is made ofa width to correspond with that of the overlasted margin of the upper and in the case of an insole for an open-toe shoe a sector-shaped filler piece or wedge piece is provided as herein shown, the filler piece having rearwardly and inwardlyinclined lateral edges adapting the filler pieceto fit between the forward edges of the 'overlasted margin of the upper; As illustrated, a strip of binding material is folded over the edge of the insole, including the thickened j portion or portions thereof, soas to impart a'finished edge appear- The invention will be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective View of an insole prepared in accordance with my invention for use in an open-toe and open-shank shoe, the view show- 1 ing the lower or outsole facing side of theinsole; Fig. 2 is a perspectivev View of the filler piece employed at the toe of the insole; 1 l

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the lineIIIIII of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line IVIV of'Fig. 1; A

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of one of the filler pieces employed in theshank portion of the insole; p

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line VIVI of Fig. 1;

Fig. '7 is a plan view of the forward portion of the bottom of a shoe as it appears before the outsole has been applied. the View illustrating particularly the relation of the toe filler. piece to the overlasted margins of the upper;

Fig. 8 is .a view partiallyin side elevation and partially in section of acompleted shoe;

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the shoe taken along the line IX--IX of Fig. 8; and

Fig. 10 is an elevational view of the toe end of the shoe.

In the drawings, the invention is illustrated in its application to a shoe the upper l2 of which is cut away to provide an opening l4 (Figs. 8, 9 and 10) at the toe of the shoe and also to provide openings at the opposite sides of the shank portion of the shoe, one of these shank openings being shown at IS in Fig. 8. Inasmuch as the edges of the insole I8 of the shoe will be exposed to view by the openings in the upper, the insole is provided with an edge binding 20 so that a finished edge appearance will be imparted to the portions of the insole which can be seen through the openings in the upper. The edge binding 20 consists of a strip of suitable binding material which is folded over the edge of the insole and is overlapped upon the marginal portions of the upper and lower surfaces of the insole in the usual manner, the binding strip being secured to the insole as shown by means of stitches 22. The bindinb strip may, however, be secured in place by means of cement or by both cement and stitches. The shoe comprises also an outsole 24 and a heel 26, the outsole as shown being attached to the shoe by means of cement.

To provide for filling in between the insole I8 and the outsole 24 at the open toe of the shoe, a filler piece or wedge piece 28 is secured to the toe of the insole at the outsole-facing side of the latter. The filler piece 28 may be formed from a suitable piece of material, such as fiber-board or leatherboard, and it is preferably sector-shaped, as best shown in Fig. 2, having a forward edge 30 which is curved to register with the curved toe end portion of the insole and having rearwardly and inwardly sloping side edges 32, these edges meeting to define an acute angle thus adapting the filler piece to fit between the edges 34 of the overlasted margin 36 of the upper I2, as indicated in Fig. 7. As shown, the forward portion of the filler piece 28 is interposed between the insole and the portion of the binding strip 20 which overlies the lower surface of the insole so that the filler piece itself will not be visible in the finished shoe. The thickness of the filler piece is substantially the same as that of the upper materials and accordingly at the toe of the insole where the edge binding overlies the filler piece the bound edge of the insole will be thickened just enough to compensate for the thickness of the overlasted upper materials 36 at either side of the filler piece and thus to prevent the formation of any depression in either the insole or the outsole or any unsightly space between the soles at the open toe of the shoe where the overlasted margin of the upper is cut away. This condition is clearly shown in Figs. 8 and 10 upon an examination of which it will appear that the bound edge of the insole has been thickened at 38 by the presence of the filler piece.

In order to provide for filling in between the insole and the outsole of the shoe where there are no overlasted marginal portions on the upper in the open-shank portions of the shoe filler pieces 40 (Figs. 1, 5 and 6,) are employed. These filler pieces 40 may be made of the same material and may be of the same thickness as the toe filler piece 28 and, as shown, they are formed with curved outer edges 42 shaped to register with the curvededges in the shank portion of the insole. As shown in Figs. 1 and 6, the filler pieces 40 are interposed between the insole and the edge binding 20 at the lower side of the insole. The filler pieces 40 serve to thicken the bound edge portions at the opposite sides of the shank of the insole in the regions where the upper is cut away in an open-shank shoe. Thus, the filler pieces 4|] insure against any distortion of the margins of the inner or outer soles or the formation of any unsightly spaces between the soles in the open-shank portion of the shoe.

In using an insole such as that shown in Fig. 1 in making an open-toe and open-shank shoe, such as that shown in Fig. 8, the insole is assembled on a last with an upper having cut-out toe and shank portions and the upper is worked over the last and its lower marginal portions are secured in overlasted position upon the insole in the localities where the edge of the insole has not been thickened by means of the filler pieces. An outsole is then attached by cement or otherwise to the overlasted marginal portions of the upper. 'In the localities where the upper is cut away, i. e., at the toe and at opposite sides of the shank portion of the shoe, the filler pieces will fill in between the inner and outer soles where there are no overlasted upper margins. In other words, the filler pieces function to provide shoe bottom surfaces at the tip of the toe and at opposite sides of the shank portion which are flush with the shoe bottom surfaces formed by the overlasted upper margins and prevent the formation of hollows or ridges in the inner or outer soles orunsightly openings between the edges of the soles. Thus, in the case of a shoe having a cement attached outsole the cement bond between the outsole and the shoe bottom will be continuous along the entire margin of the shoe bottom and there will be no depressions or ridges produced in either the insole or the outsole. Moreover, the filler pieces impart a desired plumpness to the marginal portions of the insole which are exposed to view in the localities where the upper is cut away, thus causing the shoe bottom to have a stronger and sturdier appearance in that locality. As shown, the filler pieces 40 are spaced apart to provide space between them for receiving a shank stiffener and thus serve to prevent the latter from forming an undesirable ridge in the outsole.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. For use in a shoe the upper of which is cut awa to form a toe openin adjacent to the shoe bottom, an insole having the marginal portion of its forepart thickened at its toe end only in a locality corresponding to that of the cut-away portion of the upper to compensate for the thickness of the overlasted upper margins at opposite sides of said opening and having the remaining marginal portion of its forepart of a uniform thickness substantially less than said toe end portion for receiving said upper margins, and said thickened portion having rearwardly and inwardly inclined lateral edges meeting to define an acute angle and thereby adapting said portion to fit between the overlasted margins of the cutaway upper.

2. For use in a shoe having an open-toe upper, an insole having at the toe end only of its forepart a filler piece secured to the side of the insole which is to face the outsole, said filler piece having its forward edge curved to correspond to the curvature of the edge of the toe end of the insole and alined with said insole edge and having lateral edges inclined rearwardly and inwardly from the curved forward edge of said piece and meet- I ing to define an acute angle thus adapting the filler piece to fit between the forward edges of the overlasted margins of the upper, and said insole having its entire forepart rearwardly of said toe portion of uniform thickness to receive said upper margins.

3. For use in a shoe having an open-toe upper, an insole having a sector-shaped filler piece of sheet material corresponding in thickness to that of the upper of the shoe, said filler piece being secured to the toe end of the outsole-facing side of the insole and having a curved forward edge registering with that of the insole, and said insole having a strip of binding material covering its edge and the edge of said filler piece and secured tothe insole by stitches some of which extend through the filler piece and serve to hold the latter in place.

4. For use in an open-shank and open-toe shoe, an insole having a sector-shaped filler piece of sheet material secured to the toe end of the side which is to face the outsole of the shoe, said piece having inwardly and rearwardly inclined lateral edges meeting to definean acute angle, thereby adapting the piece to fill in the space between the inturned margins at the toe of the upper and said insole having also two filler strips one of which is secured to each lateral marginal portion at said side of the insole, said filler strips being spaced apart to provide space between them for receiving a shank stiffener and said strips having outer edges of substantial thickness registering with the edge of the insole.

5. An open-toe shoe comprising an insole, an outsole, and an. upper having its toe portion cut away and its margin inturned between said insole and said outsole rearwardly of the toe portions thereof, said insole having its toe portion thickened at its outsole-facing side to compensate for the absence of upper material between the soles in that locality and having the remaining marginal portion of its forepart of a uniform thickness substantially less than said toe end portion wheresaid upper margin is inturned.

, 6. An open-toe shoe comprising an insole, an outsole, an upper having its. toe portion cut awa; and its margin inturned between said insole and said outsole rearwardly of the toe portions thereof, a filler piece secured between the toe portions of said soles and filling in between said soles in the region between said inturned upper margins,

said filler piece having a curved forward edge,

alined with the adjacent portion of the outsole edge and having later'al edges inclined rearwardly and inwardly from said curved edge to avoid interference with the inturned margin of the upper, and a binding covering the edge of said insole and the edge of said filler piece.

7. An open-shank and open-toe shoe comprising an insole, an outsole, an upper cut away at the toe and at opposite sides of the shank portion of the shoe, a sector-shaped filler piece secured to the toe end of the insole at its outsole-facing side and having inwardly and rearwardly inclined lateral edges meeting to define an acute angle thereby adapting the piece to fill in the space between the inturned margins of the upper at the toe of the shoe, two filler strips overlying the opposite lateral margins only of said insole in the shank portions of its outsole-facing side, said strips corresponding in thickness to that of said upper and filling in between said soles in the open-shank portion of the shoe, and having outer edges in alinement with the edge of the insole,

and a shank stiffener located between said filler strips.

8. A shoe comprising an insole, an outsole, an upper having openings extending inwardly from its lower edge at the toe and at opposite sides of the shank portion of the shoe and having marginal portions between said openings inturned between said soles, a filler piece of a thickness corresponding to that of said upper secured to said insole and filling in between said soles at the toe end of the shoe, two shank filler pieces secured one to each lateral margin of said insole in the shank portion of the shoe, said shank pieces being spaced apart widthwise of the shoe and each being throughout its width of a thickness corresponding to that of the upper and said pieces filling in between the margins of the shank portions of said soles, and a binding strip. covering the edge of said insole and the edges of said filler pieces.

FRANK F. COOMIBS. 

